The Audition - Champion

Rating

single starsingle starsingle star

RIYL

Mayday Parade
Fall Out Boy
Anberlin

Label

Victory Records

Tracklist

1. Basbhat
2. Warm Me Up
3. Heaven For The Weather
4. Edinboro
5. Hell To Sell
6. Ether
7. What Gets You Through The Night
8. Shady Business
9. Make It Rain
10. Have Gun Will Travel

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If The Audition's debut album, Controversy Loves Company, was The Backstreet Boys' Backstreet's Back, with its brushes with horror movie referencing lyrics and melodies, then sophomore effort Champion is Never Gone, where the Boys grew into men and discovered gimmick-less pop.

Not quite the Backstreet aficionado? Allow me to clarify; on Champion, the boys in The Audition have dropped the raw edge and metal tinged sound of their debut in favour of a vastly more mainstream, polished gleam. Now, it still sounds like the same band, just fast forward to the intro of track three, "Heaven For The Weather" for reassurances. However, will fans still be on board amidst the sweeping changes?

In a word (or three): like totally dude. What made The Audition an interesting prospect to begin with was precisely their pop mentality, albeit when combined with the heavier aspects of their canon. And the fact that this has been given a whole lot more focus on Champion surely can't be a bad thing, right? The songs are certainly catchier. "Warm Me Up", in particular, is a fine example of mainstream majesty. Is this enough for the casual fence dweller, though? This one's undecided.

Champion is certainly a hugely listenable and enjoyable album. There just seems to be an element missing. It doesn't command repeat listens and the opening four track salvo leads to a bout of yawn-induced skipping to the final track, "Have Gun Will Travel" -- the album's high point. The skipping isn't because of disgust or any other extreme notion, because the bulk of the album is good, solid pop-rock, but there's just something missing. Vocalist Danny Stevens has a great voice the majority of the time, yet occasionally lapses into forced territory a little too often. The music is, frankly, great. The melodies are ready for radio and drip talent, but in a generic manner, which all leaves the album as somewhat of a puzzle.

In essence, if you have spent your life drinking full fat, full sugar soda, Champion is the diet version -- same initial taste, followed with an empty feeling and the vague notion of absence. God bless metaphors.

--Alex Davies

Last updated: 09/29/2009 08:59PM

Comments

rustycage
02/11/2008
07:14AM
Too many metaphors, remember to talk a little bit more about THE MUSIC and not about their mainstream polished gleam and cans of soda.
Composing
02/11/2008
08:21AM
Age: 25
Location
Waterloo, Ontario
Their last release was a nice little gem - I haven't checked this one out yet though!

Top Ten of 2009 http://www.decoymusic.com/users/3747/top_tens/2009

ThugginInDelaware
02/11/2008
08:58AM
Age: 27
Location
Senegal Africa
that backstreet boys reference flew right over my head. If you did the same thing but with nsync maybe it would make more sense.
Ive heard people say this sounds like maroon 5 a little. Is that true?

Listening to:
fuckin african mosques (Tang na bu baax)

theseed30
02/11/2008
11:02AM
Location
Cincinnati
Much like their first album, this album is outstanding! At the very least 4 stars...easily. Catchy music, soaring hooks, original lyrics. No "empty feeling" here and I haven't stopped listening to it yet.

Probably the "catchiest" album I've heard since Paramore's new one. The only difference is I won't get sick of it after a month because theAudition isn't on the radio and crammed down your throat MTV style.
lezsolt
02/11/2008
11:35AM
Age: 26
Location
Budapest, Hungary
Terrible album.

HEARTandSYNAPSE
02/11/2008
11:54AM
Location
Manchester, England
ThugginInDelaware
that backstreet boys reference flew right over my head. If you did the same thing but with nsync maybe it would make more sense.
Ive heard people say this sounds like maroon 5 a little. Is that true?



shit, i knew I'd left something out of the review.
yeah, it really does sound like maroon 5.

and, i dunno. like the review said, there really was just something missing. enjoyable, but empty.

Chris Conlan
02/11/2008
01:00PM
Age: 27
Location
Dubuque
Loved the last album. This one was so/so.

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CarryUsAway
02/11/2008
01:38PM
Age: 23
Location
Milpitas, CA
i thought this album was a lot better than their previous one. songs like "Make It Rain" and "Basbhat" are so catchy.
jamoncito
02/11/2008
07:08PM
Age: 23
Location
Los Angeles
I like diet soda better. Should I then be inclined to check this album out?
HEARTandSYNAPSE
02/12/2008
05:21AM
Location
Manchester, England
no. there is no direct correlation between soda preferences and thoughts on the audition.

theseed30
02/12/2008
11:10AM
Location
Cincinnati
lezsolt
Terrible album.


insightful feedback all the way from Budapest.